Tag Archives: Trump

Previews: The Economist Magazine – Dec 2, 2023

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The Economist Magazine (November 30, 2023): The latest issue features ‘Blue-Collar Bonanza’ – Why conventional wisdom on inequality is wrong; Is Putin winning?; America’s most conservative court; Political Islam after Gaza, and more…

A new age of the worker will overturn conventional thinking

Around the rich world, wage gaps are shrinking

Few ideas are more unshakable than the notion that the rich keep getting richer while ordinary folks fall ever further behind. The belief that capitalism is rigged to benefit the wealthy and punish the workers has shaped how millions view the world, whom they vote for and whom they shake their fists at. It has been a spur to political projects on both left and right, from the interventionism of Joe Biden to the populism of Donald Trump. But is it true?

A religious revolution is under way in the Middle East

Demonstrators shout slogans during a protest in support of the Palestinian people in Cairo, Egypt

Can it survive the Gaza war?

Old stereotypes are haunting the Middle East once more. The biggest butchery of Israeli civilians since the state’s creation, carried out on October 7th, has been followed by a slaughter of Palestinian civilians. America, which has funded, armed and defended Israel is again an object of ire. So are its Western allies. Together they are blamed for facilitating Gaza’s pummelling and the displacement of its people. A truce which began on November 24th, and which was set to expire as The Economist went to press, had led to the release of 81 hostages and 180 Palestinian detainees as of November 28th.

The New York Times — Thursday, Nov 30, 2023

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Henry Kissinger Is Dead at 100; Shaped Nation’s Cold War History

A color portrait of Henry A. Kissinger in a dark suit jacket, white shirt and striped tie, his right hand pressed against his chin. A wall map of the world fills the space behind him.

The most powerful secretary of state of the postwar era, he was both celebrated and reviled. His complicated legacy still resonates in relations with China, Russia and the Middle East.

Gaza Mediators, Eye on Long Term, Press for Short Truce Extension

With a temporary cease-fire in effect, Gaza residents came out to look at the damage in Khan Younis on Wednesday.

Officials from Qatar, Egypt and the U.S. hope that a succession of pauses will pave the way toward a larger goal: bringing the war to a close.

In the West Bank, Release of Prisoners Deepens Support for Hamas

Some people in the West Bank, where frustration with the Palestinian Authority has been simmering for years, believe Hamas and other armed groups are the only ones they can trust to protect them.

Two Years With America’s Elite Firefighters

Hotshot fire crews work on the front lines of the biggest wildfires in the American West. We rode along with them.

The New York Times — Wednesday, Nov 29, 2023

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A Gaza Truce Aids Both Sides. Until the Calculus Changes.

Palestinians on their way from the north of Gaza to the south passing through an Israeli checkpoint on Sunday.

Both Israel and Hamas are reaping benefits from the cease-fire, but as the hostage-for-prisoner exchanges continue, Israeli leaders may feel growing pressure to resume the war.

Gavin Newsom Wants Fox News Viewers to Hear Him Out

A portrait of Gov. Gavin Newsom of California.

After sparring twice with Sean Hannity, Gov. Gavin Newsom of California will jump into the ring this week with Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida. The stakes are high for both men.

Memorial Celebrates Rosalynn Carter’s Life, a ‘Public Love Story’

Former President Jimmy Carter emerged from hospice care to join a cast of political heavyweights paying tribute to Mrs. Carter, who died at 96 last week at her home in Plains, Ga.

Can U.S.-China Student Exchanges Survive Geopolitics?

The flow of students between the countries has been a mainstay of their relationship, even when ties have soured. Now these exchanges, too, are under threat.

The New York Times — Tuesday, November 28, 2023

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Hamas and Israel Extend Cease-Fire for 2 Days, Qatar Says

Palestinians walking on Monday amid buildings hit by Israeli strikes in Gaza City.

The extension, and another exchange of hostages and prisoners, raised hopes that more people would be set free and more humanitarian aid would reach people in the Gaza Strip.

Biden Hopes to Alter the Trajectory of the War as Hostages Are Released

President Biden spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel on Sunday in efforts to extend the temporary cease-fire.

At the president’s urging, the temporary truce between Israel and Hamas was extended two more days. The challenge is what comes next.

Inside U.S. Efforts to Untangle an A.I. Giant’s Ties to China

American spy agencies have warned about the Emirati firm G42 and its work with large Chinese companies that U.S. officials consider security threats.

Russian Women Protest Long Deployments for Soldiers in Ukraine

“Make way for someone else,” a new grass-roots movement demands as women challenge the official argument that the mobilized troops are needed in combat indefinitely.

Previews: The New Yorker Magazine – Dec 4, 2023

Dancers and musicians can be seen practicing in the Juilliard School at night.

The New Yorker – December 4, 2023 issue: The new issue‘s cover features Sergio García Sánchez’s “Ready to Soar” – The artist discusses rhythm, rigor, and the linguistic capabilities of art.

How Jensen Huang’s Nvidia Is Powering the A.I. Revolution

A portrait of Jensen Huang made of computer chips.

The company’s C.E.O. bet it all on a new kind of chip. Now that Nvidia is one of the biggest companies in the world, what will he do next?

By Stephen Witt

The revelation that ChatGPT, the astonishing artificial-intelligence chatbot, had been trained on an Nvidia supercomputer spurred one of the largest single-day gains in stock-market history. When the Nasdaq opened on May 25, 2023, Nvidia’s value increased by about two hundred billion dollars. A few months earlier, Jensen Huang, Nvidia’s C.E.O., had informed investors that Nvidia had sold similar supercomputers to fifty of America’s hundred largest companies. By the close of trading, Nvidia was the sixth most valuable corporation on earth, worth more than Walmart and ExxonMobil combined. Huang’s business position can be compared to that of Samuel Brannan, the celebrated vender of prospecting supplies in San Francisco in the late eighteen-forties. “There’s a war going on out there in A.I., and Nvidia is the only arms dealer,” one Wall Street analyst said.

Why Trump’s Trials Should Be on TV

Why Trumps Trials Should Be on TV

The conduct of the trials, their fairness, and their possibly damning verdicts will be at the center of the 2024 election. Transparency is crucial.

By Amy Davidson Sorkin

On November 6th, Donald Trump emerged from a New York City courtroom, where he had testified in a civil trial alleging that he and others in the Trump Organization had committed fraud, and gave himself a great review. “I think it went very well,” he told reporters. “If you were there, and you listened, you’d see what a scam this is.” He meant that the case was a scam and not that his company was. “Everybody saw what happened today,” he went on. “And it was very conclusive.”

How to Play a Nazi

Sandra Hüller photographed sitting in a chair by Mark Peckmezian.

The German actress Sandra Hüller probes characters with unusual depth. But to portray a Fascist wife, in “The Zone of Interest,” she reversed her usual approach—and withheld her empathy.

By Rebecca Mead

In “Anatomy of a Fall,” Hüller stars as a successful novelist accused of murdering her husband. The camera often lingers on her face as it shifts like quicksilver between playfulness, defiance, and evasion.Photograph by Mark Peckmezian for The New Yorker

The New York Times — Monday, November 27, 2023

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As Hamas Releases More Hostages, Longer Cease-Fire Appears Possible

People waving to Aviva Adrienne Siegel, a released hostage, aboard a bus in Ofakim, Israel, on Sunday.

A third group of captives released from Gaza included a 4-year-old dual American-Israeli citizen whose parents were killed in the Hamas attack on Oct. 7.

U.S. Troops Still Train on Weapons With Known Risk of Brain Injury

Special Operations troops trained with rocket launchers in Fort Chaffee, Ark.

Pentagon researchers say weapons like shoulder-fired rockets expose troops who fire them to blast waves far above safety limits, but they remain in wide use.

Members of Congress Head for the Exits, Many Citing Dysfunction

More than three dozen incumbents have announced they will not seek re-election next year. Some are running for other offices, while others intend to leave Congress altogether.

As Groundwater Dwindles, Powerful Players Block Change

Here are some of the people fighting efforts to conserve a vital resource that’s disappearing across the United States.

The New York Times — Sunday, November 26, 2023

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Amid Hostage Releases, Israel Faces Dilemma Over Resuming the War

A group of Israeli hostages was released by Hamas on Saturday, after an hourslong delay raised fears that the deal would collapse.

The cease-fire can be extended by daily releases of hostages, making it progressively harder for Israel to restart military operations.

Gaza Civilians, Under Israeli Barrage, Are Being Killed at Historic Pace

Even a conservative assessment of the reported Gaza casualty figures shows that the rate of death during Israel’s assault has few precedents in this century, experts say.

Despite Bans, Disabled Women Are Still Being Sterilized in Europe

Governments have declared the practice a human rights violation. But they have made exceptions that are divisive among parents, doctors and social workers.

In This Atlanta Suburb, Teens Taste Freedom at 10 M.P.H.

In Peachtree City, Ga., golf carts are everywhere, giving young people in particular an early chance to take life by the wheel.

The New York Times — Saturday, Nov 25, 2023

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First Captives Freed in Tense Gaza Truce Between Israel and Hamas

Vehicles with Red Cross insignias traveling through a border checkpoint.

Hamas freed two dozen hostages, Israel released 39 imprisoned Palestinians, and more than 130 aid trucks reached Gaza over the first day of a tense, temporary truce after seven weeks of war.

Growing Numbers of Chinese Migrants Are Crossing the Southern Border

A family of migrants from China in Texas after surrendering to Border Patrol in April.

More than 24,000 Chinese citizens have been apprehended crossing into the United States from Mexico in the past year. That is more than in the preceding 10 years combined.

How Electricity Is Changing, Country by Country

Carbon-free electricity has never been more plentiful. Wind and solar power have taken off over the past two decades, faster than experts ever expected. But it hasn’t yet been enough to halt the rise of coal- and gas-burning generation.

Could Haley Really Beat Trump? Big Donors Are Daring to Dream.

Powerful players in the business world have gravitated toward Nikki Haley, aware that she remains an underdog but beginning to believe she has a chance.

Previews: The Economist Magazine – Nov 25, 2023

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The Economist Magazine (November 25, 2023): The latest issue features The Climate report – Some progress, must try harder….

Progress on climate change has not been fast enough, but it has been real

And the world needs to learn from it

The agreement at the conference of the parties (cop) to the un Framework Convention on Climate Change, which took place in Paris in 2015, was somewhat impotent. As many pointed out at the time, it could not tell countries what to do; it could not end the fossil-fuel age by fiat; it could not draw back the seas, placate the winds or dim the noonday sun. But it could at least lay down the law for subsequent cops, decreeing that this year’s should see the first “global stocktake” of what had and had not been done to bring the agreement’s overarching goals closer.

Lessons from the ascent of the United Arab Emirates

How to thrive in a fractured world

In Argentina Javier Milei faces an economic crisis

The radical libertarian is taking over a country on the brink

The New York Times — Friday, November 24, 2023

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Israel, Hamas Agree to Begin Cease-Fire Friday Morning

The relatives of children kidnapped on Oct. 7, along with families and supporters of hostages, protesting on Monday in Tel Aviv.

Prodded by the U.S., Israel agreed to the pause in hostilities and the release of 150 imprisoned Palestinians in exchange for 50 hostages held in Gaza.

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Draws Spectators and Protests

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has brought holiday cheer for almost a century. This year, it also provided a stage for protesters.

The nearly century-old holiday tradition also provided a stage for activists.

Retailers Worry About Shoppers’ Mood This Holiday Season

Consumer spending has been strong in 2023 despite higher prices and waning savings. But some retailers have jitters heading into Black Friday.

Johnson’s Release of Jan. 6 Video Feeds Right-Wing Conspiracy Theories

The speaker fulfilled a demand of the far right, which has sought thousands of hours of footage to try to rewrite the history of the Capitol attack.